[dhkid]

i got a cracked 721 at the weld, right across on both sides. is the rim still useable? i am slightly pissed at this as the rim is only 5 months old. although i cant really complain as the sun rims i used before were stop sign shape when i retired them. it was on the front wheel and there are no dents at all on the rim, i only have two dents on the rear rim. and if its relevent i checked the tention of the wheel just last week, making it was even and true.

 

[iridebikes]

I think you could still run it, but you might look into a warrenty replacement. Because that might be considered a manufacture defect.

 

[ghettogt76]

I wouldn't ride a cracked rim, but that's just me. Why risk getting injured over a relatively cheap part?

 

[Zman]

I think you could still run it, but you might look into a warrenty replacement. Because that might be considered a manufacture defect.

why after 5 months of DHing is it a warranty replacement? you crack a rock at 30+ mph with a low tire is that warranty? just cause you break something that doesnt have a warranty doesnt mean you shoudl get a new one.....way too many variables when it comes to a rim.

suck up the fact that you killed a wheel, and get a new one. you admit to being hard on wheels....

 

[Zaskar Rider]

I have a handbuilt Mag30 that's stood up to some rough times on the back of a rm7, bullit dh rig, and now a jack flash. It's got a crack at one of the spoke holes but it still goes round in circles fine. If it were me I'd just run it till you can afford a new one or till it explodes. Face it, DH isn't a cheap sport.

 

[dhkid]

wow, someones bitter. i just wanted to know if its still ok to use the rim and i am only 120lbs and ride dh. and as far as i know if you use the rim with disc brakes it voides the warranty anyways.

 

[iridebikes]

why after 5 months of DHing is it a warranty replacement?

Dude, Chill. It doesn't hurt to ask. they might be cool about it. If the weld breaks, then it means they most likely didn't weld it properly.

 

[lovebunny]

Dude, Chill. It doesn't hurt to ask. they might be cool about it. If the weld breaks, then it means they most likely didn't weld it properly.

after 5 months?

 

[Zaskar Rider]

Last time I checked the weld is the weak spot of the rim. Slam it into a pointy rock at speed and bad things will happen.

How'd you crack it anyway?

 

[skinny mike]

and as far as i know if you use the rim with disc brakes it voides the warranty anyways.

 

[Zman]

Dude, Chill. It doesn't hurt to ask. they might be cool about it. If the weld breaks, then it means they most likely didn't weld it properly.

actually no it doesnt. since the weld is usually the weakest part of any system. i say usually because occasionally it is stronger but not the norm. and they might. my main problem after working in shops and other places are how many people think that they may not "deserve" a warranty, but somehow think the company is there to give out free product. thats not how they stay there to make money.

as for running a disc brake on a rim....no it doesnt void any warranty. running a rim brake on a disc rim is a whole different story so that isnt an issue.

maybe i do need to chill a little, but people also need to be responsible for their actions.

DHkid....run it for a bit but keep a close eye on it. gets worse...new rim, and have someone who really knows how to build a wheel do it (not saying it wasnt done before) makes a huge difference on durability

 

[iridebikes]

I know all about warrenty stuff. It is true, most people don't deserve to get a free replacement, but my experience with the stuff that's come through my shop is that the company is most of the time fairly willing to help the customer out to keep them happy, as are we as a shop. I do understand the whole "JRA" crap that some people try to pull. I've done it myself with a few minor things and the company was totally cool about sending me a replacement product, not even asking for the original back most of the time.

So ya, I'd say take it to the local bike shop, have them call mavic, send mavic some pictures, let the shop know what happened, then they can relay some sort of message to Mavic and you might get a new rim, you might not. ya never know.

 

[dhkid]

as for running a disc brake on a rim....no it doesnt void any warranty. running a rim brake on a disc rim is a whole different story so that isnt an issue.

it is for this rim as mavic specs it as a v brake rim, and isn't compatible with disc brakes.

 

[Zman]

it is for this rim as mavic specs it as a v brake rim, and isn't compatible with disc brakes.

absolutely never heard of such a thing since a disc brake has no interaction with the rim. there are forces involved when braking, but nothing that is going to cause a mnufacturer to not allow a rim brake rim to be used in a disc brake capacity. it isnt spec'd as a disc rim, but doesnt mean it cant be used with disc brakes

 

[skatetokil]

I know all about warrenty stuff. It is true, most people don't deserve to get a free replacement, but my experience with the stuff that's come through my shop is that the company is most of the time fairly willing to help the customer out to keep them happy, as are we as a shop. I do understand the whole "JRA" crap that some people try to pull. I've done it myself with a few minor things and the company was totally cool about sending me a replacement product, not even asking for the original back most of the time.

So ya, I'd say take it to the local bike shop, have them call mavic, send mavic some pictures, let the shop know what happened, then they can relay some sort of message to Mavic and you might get a new rim, you might not. ya never know.

The fact is, when you're dealing with a big company using automated production processes, the marginal unit of production costs them basically zero (a dollar in alu and a couple bucks in shipping). If a warranty claim is even on the border, most companies that arent stupid will opt to keep the customer happy rather than jew them over3 dollars.

Think about it:
Warranty claim goes through=
-$3
+All future business from the guy and his friends and all the people who read these message boards and find out that they stand behind their products.

Warranty claim goes poorly=
Guy never buys another product from your company and tells others not to do so as well.

Which does a good business do?

 

[dhkid]

i cant be bothered to claim anything, i dont think there is any mavic dealers around here. and anything with the word warranty or replacement takes months over here so screw it.

 

[Kevin]

I cracked 2 Mavic 721s last year at the weld.
Its the price for using a light rim for DH I guess.
Buy a stronger heavier rim or just suck it up and buy a new one if you want a light wheel.
I rode a cracked 721 for about a month last year because I didnt have spare rim handy and it held up fine, but you should probably replace it as soon as possible.

 

[dhkid]

Its the price for using a light rim for DH I guess.

well, it may be light but most ppl consider it to be a pretty strong rim.
anyways, you guys consider it to be normall for a mavic rim to be cracked even though it hasn't seen much abuse?

 

[zedro]

actually no it doesnt. since the weld is usually the weakest part of any system.

actually its the area right next to the weld (heat affected zone). There could be a void in the weld which would cause cracking; this could happen after 8 months of 'normal' riding instead of 5 months of abusive riding. Mavic has a warranty program that covers DEFECTS; if this is in fact a defect, then the type of riding he was doing is irrelevant (hell, they are DH rims, or have people forgotten). Its just like frames that crack on the weld generally are the warranty subjects as well, where tubeset failiures are not; the weld is where defects in workmanship occur.

Plus I would rather have Mavic decide weither it deserves their warranty over some spaz on a mtb forum...

 

[dhkid]

ok,then should i just drop mavic an email? so i get sent a replacement from france? where else do they have dealers?

 

[stgil888]

I would give them a call. That's usually the fastest way to get through to customer service. I haven't had good luck emailing any bike companies. No harm done in asking. Personally, I would replace anything suspicious on my front wheel. The fear of having it fall apart and flying over the bars is enough to make me nervous. Good luck.

 

[surfinguru]

Here's what I'd do, get a new rim, send the old one back to be inspected for warranty and you've got no down time. Worst case scenario, they say "no deal." Best case is they warranty it and now you've got a spare rim in hand.

 

[bikenweed]

My back wheel, a Mavic 721, has 14 cracks in it. Most are at the nipple holes. I ride it everyday. I will not replace it until it's broken. A crack in a rim is no big deal, a crack in a fork crown or around a gusset on a downtube is a big deal.

 

[dhpimp]

The fact is, when you're dealing with a big company using automated production processes, the marginal unit of production costs them basically zero (a dollar in alu and a couple bucks in shipping).

Wow, you have no idea about production costs huh?

Automated procedures = cost of developing the machines and technology (which is R&D) is expensive. Then you have to spread that cost out over many items - in this case rims.

Material Cost = aluminum ain't just a 1$. You need to take raw material aluminum, treat it, and then shape it, and treat it again. Mavic developed a material called Maxtal which is sort of their own proprietary metal, but a fancy way of saying Aluminum alloy.

Shipping = a pair of wheels to ship costs more than 2$. If it is in the US from Mavic USA in MA, try about 7-8$ just for a rim.

3$ for a warranty is pretty silly.

the company was totally cool about sending me a replacement product, not even asking for the original back most of the time.

A good company will want their product back so that they can send it to their QC department's engineers to examine how it broke and how the product can be improved.

We ride DH and it's an incredibly abusive sport. So when you plow through a rock garden and 2 days later notice a cracked rim, it was probably not due to a defect from a manufacture but more than likely from slamming into a boulder in the rock garden.

 

[zedro]

A good company will want their product back so that they can send it to their QC department's engineers to examine how it broke and how the product can be improved.

We ride DH and it's an incredibly abusive sport. So when you plow through a rock garden and 2 days later notice a cracked rim, it was probably not due to a defect from a manufacture but more than likely from slamming into a boulder in the rock garden.

well it isnt rocket science, if a rim cracks at the weld, either there was a defect in that weld or there wasent. If they take the time to test it and find the weld was defective....well so what? they already know the QA statistics, it's purely a CS problem at this point. Something more complicated like a frame is different thought, they always ask for those back.

 

[maxyedor]

I wouldn't ride that rim with a crack, as far as I kow the weld bear is all that keeps it together, and as such you now have a horribly weak rim. Look at the atomlabs, they may be heavy but damn are they strong.

 

[dhpimp]

well it isnt rocket science, if a rim cracks at the weld, either there was a defect in that weld or there wasent. If they take the time to test it and find the weld was defective....well so what? they already know the QA statistics, it's purely a CS problem at this point. Something more complicated like a frame is different thought, they always ask for those back.

In this case - yes, it would be specific to the weld cracking on a rim. But how are they going to know if it was a manufactures defect or not? Most people who assess warranties in the bike industry are certainly not metallurgist or engineers.

My statement was more general to warranty and using parts for DH. For example, If I broke my Saint crank and Shimano didn't ask for it back but instead just sent me a new one, I would be more concerned about this because it tells me that they are seeing enough of this product breaking to NOT need to it back.

 

[zedro]

In this case - yes, it would be specific to the weld cracking on a rim. But how are they going to know if it was a manufactures defect or not? Most people who assess warranties in the bike industry are certainly not metallurgist or engineers.

thats why its a CS issue, weight the cost of actually analysing etc. vs the cost of replacement vs. making the customer happy. It's a mature product and they know the return rate, so they arent going to test every single thing that gets sent in, that'll cost way more than just flipping a new rim.

In some cases companies dont even care, they allot a certain percentage of return and dont care whats what as long as it stays in that bracket.

 

[dhkid]

My back wheel, a Mavic 721, has 14 cracks in it. Most are at the nipple holes. I ride it everyday. I will not replace it until it's broken. A crack in a rim is no big deal, a crack in a fork crown or around a gusset on a downtube is a big deal.

thanks, knowing that helps alot. i was wondering if ppl who run pinned rims still ride them once they are seperated, a cracked rim which shouldn't be that bad.

 

[wydopen]

ive riddin a cracked rim for a while and it held on some rough stuff